It seems that almost everyone here considers the Zaft buck a pickup and I am wondering at what point did it become a pickup.

I have heard four main reasons:
1. He could not recover the meat (due to coyotes)

2. The farmer, not him found the deer

3. It was found the next day

4. He could not verify it was his

I know I am in the minority but I consider it a kill, a kill under the worst of circumstances but still a kill, and because of the caliber of the deer everyone calls it a pickup.

So let me start with a scenario for each of the four reasons that I think would be a kill.

1. Deer shot at dusk, by the time you get out of your stand it is dark, unsure of the shot you decide to comeback at first light (o.k. so far) you find your deer 50 yds. from your stand ripped apart by yotes. You cannot recover the meat. Is it a pickup or a kill? I say chalk one up to the not friendly hunting gods and it is a kill.
2. You have been tracking a deer for 8 hours and run across another hunter / farmer / jogger who after listening to your frustrations tells you he found a dead deer 400 yds the other way. You find he deer with your arrow in it. Odds are you would of never found that deer. Was it your lucky day to claim your trophy or do you now drag back your “pickup” and display it with the rest of your road kills. I say you did not find it and you are lucky, very lucky so chalk one up to the friendly hunting gods and drag home your trophy.
3. Many deer are found the next day, in cold weather you could find a deer days later and the meat would be good. So what’s the cut off ?
4. Zaft could not verify it was his deer because? He could not verify an arrow wound, His blood trail did not lead to his deer. Very often you do not see the arrow hit the deer. You can only confirm the deer was hit with an arrow. Only with a team of forensic scientists and DNA tests to compare the blood on your arrow to the found deer’s blood can you be 100% certain.
Many deer are found after loosing the blood trail and searching. Are all these kills a pickups?
I know I am new hear but I can’t help picturing one of the long time respected posters telling of a big buck he had shot with the same exact scenario as Zaft’s. With the responses from you guys as “ I give you credit for looking for him for two days, many guys would of given up” or “ Nice buck, be sure to send that farmer a fruit basket or put him in your will” or “ Those Darn Yotes I can’t believe they ruined your deer, call DEC and see if they will give you a new tag”
Anyway, there you have it, Lay it on me
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